Another New Rug

I live in a home with one large living room and no family room.  This is the room where we all gather, where we wrestle and tickle and knock each other down and where we kneel to pray at night before bed.

This living room has marble flooring and is not the softest place to fall.

Four years ago when we moved in, I wanted to find an enormous area rug, but they were so expensive.  The one I wanted, a blue shag beauty, was $800.

So, as a creature of habit, I did what I always do when I want something I can’t afford.

I started shopping thrift stores.

A few weeks later and for $19.99 at Salvation Army, I came home with this; a gorgeous contemporary rug.  Here it is already initiated into what life at my house is like

and dark enough to hide all the soon-to-be stains that come from a family my size.

I loved it when about a year later, I woke up to find my dog chewing on the corner of my gorgeous rug. After more investigating, I found three more problems.  It appeared my dog had taken liberty to chew each and every corner of the rug that night. 

I overlooked the destruction for a while, but I have my limits.  The defect finally got the best of me and I started looking again for another huge area rug.

Welcome rug #2, found at Mesa Thrift for $30.

This rug was even better.  Immaculate, softer, plusher and I liked the design even more then the other.  We rolled around on it, drank way too many juice sippies and eventually, it started looking well, used.

I had it professionally cleaned several times, but after two years, I was ready for something different.

Meet rug #3, also found at Mesa Thrift.

I saw it when I first walked in the thrift store and couldn’t believe it.  I have always wanted a thick shag rug, but I’ve never seen remotely this beautiful while thrifting.  Usually, the styling a find is a few years dated.  Was it too good to be true?  There were a few things I needed to check like if it was dirty, stained or falling apart.  In addition, it couldn’t smell like an animal shelter after a rain storm or a smoky bar on New Year’s Eve.  I started my inspection and realized this rug looked and smelled like new, without a single stain or mystery odor.  After my thorough inspection of the top, I turned it over to check out the bottom.  Was the stitching in tact?  No weird urine stains?  When I saw a tag, stating the manufacturer was Crate and Barrel I realized I had something of superior quality.  I had shopped new rugs and knew what they cost, but that was at World of Rugs and T.J. Maxx.  I had a feeling an 8x10 shag rug from Crate and Barrel like this cost around $1000 or more.

Mesa Thrift had it priced at $50.  SOLD!

Here she is, all gorgeous in my living room and getting initiated.  

It’s a bit like having a large shedding pet, but here’s hoping after we break her in, she’s a bit less hairy.

To read more about my rugs, click here and here.